In a genetic cross, what is a homozygous genotype?

A homozygous genotype refers to a genetic makeup where an individual possesses two identical alleles for a particular gene. This means that both versions of the gene, inherited from each parent, are the same, and can either be dominant or recessive. For instance, if an organism has two alleles for a trait represented as "AA" or "aa," it is considered homozygous. This is significant in genetics because homozygous individuals exhibit consistent traits or phenotypes related to the alleles they carry, as there is no variation introduced by different alleles. In contrast, a heterozygous genotype, where the alleles are different (such as "Aa"), can lead to a mix of dominant and recessive traits, potentially resulting in different phenotypic expressions.